🚀 go-pugleaf

In message <20080703014617.1ee01c76@realh.co.uk> Tony Houghton
<h@realh.co.uk> wrote:

>On Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:04:58 -0600
>DevilsPGD <spam_narf_spam@crazyhat.net> wrote:
>
>> In message <+ghfq9AZs$aIFAO3@from.is.invalid> GSV Three Minds in a Can
>> <GSV@quik.clara.co.uk> wrote:
>> 
>> >Bitstring <fktn64ptvbpo5mg668u7h4gh5cpdetemkt@4ax.com>, from the 
>> >wonderful person DevilsPGD <spam_narf_spam@crazyhat.net> said
>> >>In message <dOPak.19614$E41.10901@text.news.virginmedia.com> 7
>> >><website_has_email@www.enemygadgets.com> wrote:
>> >>
>> >>>Should Motherboard makers bundle Linux CD with every shipment?
>> >>
>> >>No.  I'd rather they not waste money on optical media containing
>> >>crap I'll never touch.
>> >
>> >I think you mean 'MORE cr&p', given the amount they already deliver 
>> >(typically nobbled &/or temporary versions, or games you didn't
>> >want).
>> 
>> Ahh, but most of the temporary version crap is paid for by the
>> manufacturer of the software, not the motherboard.  In other words, I
>> don't pay for it.
>> 
>> I would pay the costs of throwing in some random garbage OS.
>
>No, it's estimated you'd pay about 10p, which is negligible compared to
>the motherboard. 

10p might cover the cost of the CD.  Now add the costs for building the
CD, and supporting the software (including hiring and training support
staff, and their associated office needs)

Now compare that cost against the benefit?  Who would buy a motherboard
that happens to include an operating system targeted at users who are
capable of grabbing it for free on their own anyway?

My grandmother sure won't care, she can't use Linux anyway.  A few geeks
might care, but I don't know of a geek that can't manage to get Linux
running on their own if they care to make it a priority.

>The cost of a garbage OS is anything from �10 to �200+
>depending on whether you're trying to buy it or get a refund after
>having it foisted on you.

I don't buy hardware that bundles an OS I don't want.

>> Personally what I'd like to see would be a single lightweight CD that
>> only contains enough drivers to get the NIC up and running and connect
>> to the net to pull updated drivers, then automate the process of
>> detecting required drivers (at least for the motherboard, since it's
>> components are known quantities), downloading and installing them.
>
>I prefer to download the driver using a system that is net-capable and
>either copy it onto the Windows drive/partition if it's Linux on the
>same PC, or use a USB key if it isn't.

Good theory, but manufacturers need to be able to sell hardware that
works without an existing system to get it working.

Personally, I can't say I'm even willing to do tech work without an
internet connection available anymore except in exceptional
circumstances.

I really like how my EVDO card works, when you first insert it, if no
driver connects to the EVDO portion of the card it switched to CD mode
(emulating a CDROM) with drivers onboard.  Once you install the drivers,
the CD disappears and you don't see it again unless you
disable/uninstall the EVDO card.

I'd love to see motherboards offer similar, and adding 64MB of flash
would probably be cheaper then distributing CDs due to the fact that the
flash can be updated trivially whereas CDs cannot be updated once
they're pressed.

>> Well actually maybe I wouldn't, since it would cut into my billable
>> hours for newb PC builders.   But ya know.
>
>Funny how so many people that rubbish Linux make a living by charging
>for wasted time.

Nobody around here actually uses Linux for anything other then servers,
there simply isn't a market.  Even my Linux geek friends at best manage
a couple Linux servers in otherwise nearly homogeneous Windows shops.

In all my consulting and local IT contacts, I've yet to hear of any
company actually using anything other then Windows on the desktops.

Don't get me wrong, I would really love to see some real competition out
there.  A dozen years since I started hearing "Linux is ready for the
desktop" and how long with OSX out there, and the combination of the two
is still fighting over 10% of the desktop marketplace.